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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. track — a path
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. track — a song
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com